PARIS – England and Portugal are in pole position to win their respective 2026 World Cup qualifying groups with two games to spare, with several other European nations also hoping to secure berths at the Finals in the upcoming matches.

Norway may also be only one victory away from reaching the tournament for the first time since 1998, which would leave Italy staring at a third successive World Cup watching from the sidelines.

Thomas Tuchel’s England laid down a marker last month with an impressive 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in Belgrade and are yet to concede a goal in five qualifiers.

They are not in Group K action until Tuesday when a victory over Latvia in Riga would secure a place at next year’s Finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, if Serbia do not beat Albania on Saturday.

The Three Lions boast a seven-point lead over Albania with three matches to play, with Serbia a point further back but with a game in hand.

Several players who were not previously considered first-choice starred in Serbia, leading Tuchel to leave out big names Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish from his latest squad.

“Keep on pushing,” Tuchel, whose side play Wales in a friendly on Thursday, said as his message to those missing out.

“It is a decision for this camp, it was the best camp (in September) in terms of team spirit and team work, this was the best camp so far. We decided to invite the same group of players to make more stable what we built on.”

Serbia’s clash with Albania could prove crucial in deciding which team finishes second and goes into the play-offs.

Meanwhile, Portugal racked up eight goals in their first two qualifiers in September and will likely need just two more wins over this international break to wrap up top spot in Group F.

Roberto Martinez’s side will qualify with victories against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday and Hungary on Tuesday, unless Armenia beat both...